Is this the home of the mobility revolution?

The West Midlands is hosting the UK’s first trial of ‘Mobility as a Service’, launched this month with help from a creative three-storey marketing ploy

The Nordic micro-house in Brindleyplace is the size of a parking space

“The birthplace of the industrial revolution is now the birthplace of the mobility revolution,” declared Chris Perry of MaaS Global in Birmingham’s Brindleyplace last week. He was speaking at the launch of the Whim transport app in the West Midlands.

It’s the first application of ‘Mobility as a Service’ in the UK, and one of the first worldwide. Whim was previously only available in MaaS Global’s home city, Helsinki, where it has 20,000 registered users, but it will be rolled out in 15 cities across the globe by the end of this year.

Often referred to as the “Spotify of transport”, Whim bundles all transport modes – bus, trams, taxi, car hire, bike – together on one platform

Often referred to as the “Spotify of transport”, Whim bundles all transport modes – bus, trams, taxi, car hire, bike – together on one platform. West Midlanders can use Whim on a pay-as-you-go basis or purchase a monthly package. The aim is to offer a simple and convenient alternative to car use – and even car ownership.

To illustrate this point, Whim erected a three-storey, Nordic micro-house in Brindleyplace. The Tikku house (pictured) is the size of a parking space, and therefore aims to start a conversation about what cities can do if they take cars off the streets.

Further coverage of Whim’s launch appears in the latest issue of Passenger Transport.